


if i fall for you i'll never recover

by ladyofdecember



Category: The Venture Bros
Genre: Also flashbacks to Season 4, Divorce, Heavy Angst, M/M, Mentions of Hank Dean and Brock, Separations, Thunderstorms, season 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-08 19:16:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15936614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyofdecember/pseuds/ladyofdecember
Summary: Time is a funny thing and time always catches up with you. It seems like they always have these discussions when it rains. Some spoilers up through the beginning of Season 7.





	if i fall for you i'll never recover

**Author's Note:**

> I know your insides are feeling so hollow  
> And it's a hard pill for you to swallow, yeah  
> But if I fall for you, I'll never recover  
> If I fall for you, I'll never be the same  
> \--Love Somebody by Maroon 5
> 
> For the beginning part of this, we're talking timeline at about the beginning of season 4, the episode Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel or thereabouts. After that, we're set in season 7 of course. I started this out with the idea of doing a hurt/comfort thing but now it's just dark and angst, I'm so sorry you guys.

Two Years Ago

Staring out the sliding glass door that let to their patio and pool area, Rusty Venture stood motionless inside his kitchen feeling empty inside. It was kind of like a numbness that was blooming in his chest, a lightheadedness. Like he had a feeling of deep despair but lacked the energy to really do anything about it.

The house was empty for once, Hank and Dean were outside with their new friend Dan. Or was it Dave? Denton? Something like that.

Rusty was relishing the quiet to be honest. He hadn't a moment's peace since the OSI had cleared out all the boy's corpses from their front lawn and since... well, he left.

Repressing an all body shudder, the man shook his head clear of the memory and slowly reached down to slide open the door to step out back. The boys would be okay in the front alone, just for a bit. He needed to... he needed to clear his head.

Walking a bit down the cement area towards the pool, the super scientist stared at the reflective surface of the water. One slight tip and he'd be submerged beneath the cool, blue water. If he swam down towards the bottom of the pool, he could probably hold his breath for what? Two, maybe three minutes?

Mesmerized by the shimmering of the water, the man didn't hear the approaching foot steps of his neighbor and came back to reality at the necromancer's clearing of his throat.

“Mister Venture, I thought I'd come by to offer my condolences for your situation. I am so sorry you're going through this... erm, separation.”

Turning around slowly, almost as if he hadn't heard him, Rusty glanced at Orpheus' nervous posture, the way his eyes kept darting around as he looked at him. Once they locked their gaze however, the man straightened a bit and frowned at him even more. Jesus, did he look that bad?

Shaking his head and opting for faux irritation, Rusty stepped closer. “Condolences? Separation? What the hell are you even talking about, Orpheus?”

“Well, you know, your delicate situation? With your boys?”

Rusty blinked at the man. He was starting to long for loneliness once more instead of this, whatever this was.

Orpheus heaved a sigh. “Oh, you know, Mr. Samson's departure? He... he seemed to be leaving for quite a long while and you, well you'd said-”

“I know what I said!” Rusty snapped and began walking away to head back inside.

“I'm... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to insinuate... “ The necromancer let his words fall away, unsure of how to continue.

Rusty paused at the patio door, his back to the man just as a rumble of thunder could be heard overhead. Dark clouds were moving in indicating a thunderstorm was brewing. The scientist's mind raced from thought to thought. Were the boys still outside? What if they got struck by lightning? His car wasn't working at the moment and hadn't for six months now! What if he needed to drive them to the hospital? It was so far away from the compound. What was he supposed to do about Brock's herb garden with all this rain? What if the plants all died because they drowned?

“Mister Venture?” Orpheus' voice came ringing back to his ears as light rain drops began to fall from the sky.

He slowly turned on his heel and quietly, sheepishly walked back over to the man. Looking up at him, he heaved a forlorn sigh and decided to drop all pretense. 

“Are you okay?” The man asked worriedly, tapping each of his fingers together lightly. 

“No. I'm not.” Rusty shrugged, neither noticing the falling rain nor caring really.

Orpheus frowned deeper, if that was even possible and stepped a few steps closer. He reached out and pulled off his cloak, gently placing it around the scientist's shoulders and securing it there. He let his hands just lay on either side of the man's shoulders. “If there's anything I can do... “ He murmured quietly.

The rain now pelting both of them pretty heavily, Rusty stared up at the man's eyes sorrowfully, allowing himself to feel the full meaning of Brock being gone now. He was alone. Or at least, he had thought.

Maybe Orpheus did care, maybe he could help somehow?

Nodding quietly, the scientist stepped back a bit, forcing Orpheus' hands to pull away. He held on to the cape draped around him and glanced back towards the house once more. “The boys... they're... out front. I need to get them.”

“Sure.” 

Nodding in what he hoped came across as appreciation, Rusty turned to head inside once more, only glancing back at the man once before tending to his sons.

He hated this feeling.

…

Present

Standing on the patio of the penthouse, Rusty was deep in thought, his glass of red wine in hand. A few rain clouds had been threatening the city all day but had yet to drop any rain on them.

The man thought about everything that had happened the past few years, all the terrible events, the losses, the gains, the beautiful moments, the tragic ones. Sipping at his wine, the sound of someone approaching from behind caught his ear and he turned curious as to who it was.

Orpheus gave the man a light smile and a wave. “We're going now, so um... toodle loo!”

Rusty squinted at the man. “Toodle loo? Who are you, Mr. Rogers?”

The necromancer simply shrugged and glanced back at the house, intent on getting out of the Ventures' way now that the emergency had been situated. He was however, pleasantly surprised by the man approaching him and offering him a drink instead.

“Oh, you don't have to leave yet, Orpheus!” Rusty handed him a glass of the same wine he was enjoying.

“Oh I-I... really don't drink much, Mr. Venture-“

“Come on, don't be a wuss!” Rusty interrupted, forcing the man to take the glass. Then as he reconsidered, softer, “I'm sorry. I just... have a drink with me, before you leave.”

“You know, I have to get back to Colorado. Simba and all... “ The man shrugged, glancing at the glass in his hand and over at the pool, whose lights were now turning on one by one as the sun disappeared behind the various buildings, the darkness creeping in.

A few stray rain drops began to fall around them as Rusty sipped at his wine, moving to go and sit at one of the nearby lounge chairs. It seemed he was ignoring the necromancer entirely and so he followed close behind, choosing the chair next to the man. They sat in what seemed like a tense sort of silence until the necromancer felt he just had to break it.

“I'm so sorry about what occurred here, with your, with your father and all.”

“It's fine.” Came the expected, bitter reply, cutting him off before he could say much more.

The man inclined his head and began to drink a bit of the wine. “Mmm. Well, this is quite good. Thank you.”

Rusty waved him off and they went back to drinking in silence.

The moon was out though it was being quickly obscured by storm clouds. Glancing back behind them, Orpheus concluded that they were perhaps alone except for a secluded Dean, up in his bedroom, probably working on schoolwork. 

“You know, this is very similar to that one day, back at the compound. It's interesting.”

“What day?” Rusty asked quizzically, turning to glance at him as he sucked down more of his drink.

“Oh. Um, well, a few days after Mr. Samson departed. We um, well we talked a bit, if you recall? It um... wasn't a long conversation. I'm sure you probably don't remember-”

“I remember.”

Orpheus sipped at a bit more of his wine, deciding he'd probably better just go. Time was a funny thing, it kept going no matter what. Despite tragedy, despite good times, time was an ever eternal thing. They'd been through so much together and yet they were still so very far apart. How could that be?

Perhaps, he'd never understand.

Setting the glass of wine down on the small table between them, Orpehus gave the scientist a grim smile. “Well, Mr. Venture, it was a pleasure, as always. I must be on my way back to the motel. We depart in the morning so... “

When the man didn't turn to look at him, the necromancer reluctantly stood to his feet and began to head on his way.

The rain was growing ever heavier, the super scientist seeming to be glued to his chair despite the cold. However, it was just as he had reached the door that the scientist had finally stood up to face him and erupted suddenly, “You should stay here. You know, just uh... stay or something.”

Orpheus walked carefully back towards the man. “What do you mean? I can't just-”

“You could.” Rusty nodded, eyes darting from the man's feet and back up to his eyes and all around. “I'm sorry I never said thank you. I mean, for, the other day of course, with my dad but also y'know... for everything else you've done. I'm not... good at stuff like that.”

The rain falling upon them, it was more than unpleasant, being November in Manhattan and yet neither man seemed to want to leave the spot they were standing upon, staring at each other, feeling glued to the moment in time.

Orpheus swallowed nervously, unsure of how to respond. If he said something wrong, anything really, he could ruin everything. He instead nodded, choosing to just remain silent and listen to what the man had to say.

Rusty bit his lip, as if struggling to come up with his next words. He looked at Orpheus, deep in his eyes, and wished he could just convey his thoughts telekinetically. He wished White hadn't spilt coffee all over their blueprints for that machine.

“Orpheus, you... you should stay here in New York. I mean, I... I could put you up somewhere. I could... I could get you a place and-”

“No.” The necromancer interrupted him, a hand coming to rest in the 'stop' position between them as if to create some sort of distance. “No, that's rather kind of you, Mr. Venture but I can't... I can't accept that.”

Baffled, the scientist balked at the man. “What? Why not? I'll pay for it, Orpheus-”

“I can't because... there's something about this between us. Something that's... well, it's different on either side, you see. We are not friends, not really.” The man smiled at him sadly. “But that's okay. I think that I... came to terms with that many years ago.”

“Orpheus-”

“Mr. Venture, I wish you all the luck in the world here, with the company, with your new life, with your family... but I must go back to Colorado.”

Straightening his posture a bit, Rusty looked into the man's eyes as he let the words roll around in his mind. He knew what the man was saying but he was so wrong. 

The storm above them was coming down in buckets now and so Rusty just smiled and nodded, watching at the necromancer turned to head back inside. He remained behind, just staring at the man's form as he moved away and towards their living room, presumably to take the elevator down to the street level.

Rusty swallowed down his emotions, shivering a bit from the cold temperature and the soaking wet clothes he was wrapped in. Letting his mind roam over their history together, every little conversation between them, every remark, this was... inevitable really.

It was understandable, and hell, really not that big of a deal.

So why did he feel so empty?


End file.
